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CMJ New Music, Dec 99
"Ride With The Devil" (USA Films)
Ang Lee (The Ice Storm) details the bloody battles that erupted on the
Kansas-Missouri border between rebellious pro-Souther Bushwackers and the
Union drama, Ride With The Devil. But there's romance underneath all the
bloodshed. The young widow played by pop songstress Jewel in her feature
film debut, falls for (sigh) Bushwacker Toby Maguire. Despite impressive
turns by Maguire and Jeffrey Wright (who plays a former slave) and several
ripsnorting battle scenes, too many things make Ride With The Devil
unintentionally humorous. Just try not to giggle at the horrendously
fake
wigs and cornpone dialogue. When Jewel asks Maguire, "Have you ever
bedded
with a woman?" he responds, "Girl, I've killed 15 men."
Good enough for
her! Jewel, dressed in her best peasant duds, remains credible, even
when
she has to plow a field, breast-feed her baby (shown twice) and say things
like "I brung you some supper."
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